Crown Your Eco Queen

Still chilly in your neck of the woods? Crown your favorite queen with the chic cashmere cap by legendary eco couture designer Deborah Lindquist. This adorable, super soft hat is made in the USA from 100% recycled cashmere sweaters to keep those regal ladies in your life super toasty. And you know what’s even better than a cute couture hat that’s sustainably made? The fact that it’s majorly on sale. Happy lady, happy wallet, Happy Valentine’s Day! $55 (Down from $110)

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Regift

Who knew regifting for Valentine’s Day could be so cool? Art meets eco meets technology with these beautiful crimson and orange hearts by Heart Is Hot. Made in the US from 100% recycled glass, each HIH piece is etched with its own individual number, the epic flower of life symbol, and the Heart Is Hot web address. What makes these so cool is that everyone who gives or receives this heart logs on to HeartIsHot.com and tells their story of how it came into their life and what inspired them to pass it on to the next person. The physical journey of each traveling heart is tracked at HeartIsHot.com, using a custom Google map, and each piece has an archive of “heart stories” associated with it that anyone can go to the site and read. These make the perfect gift for those people in your life who are huge romantics, big supporters of conscious commerce, need a deeply heartfelt gift, or just really love a good story. As Heart Is Hot founder Sahara Damore says, “Heart Is Hot represents re-gifting at its finest.” $24.99 ($2 of which is donated to the Unstoppable Giving Foundation…this gift really keeps on giving!)

Regifts Refined

Heart Is Hot offers regifting at it’s finest and ExBoyfriendJewelry.com offers regifting at its most refined. Here women sell off the old baubles from their ex-whatevers that are taking up space (physical and mental) in their lives. Men can snatch these beauties up for their babes and pay rock bottom prices for guilt-free and blood-free (because it’s reused instead of new) diamonds and gold. If you think you can’t possibly buy recycled jewelry from someone else’s break-up to give to the love of your life, try finding that Tiffany & Co. Heart Tag Necklace and Bracelet set for $50 somewhere else! That’s what I thought…just follow the hyperlink above gentlemen. $12 and up

Organic Hot Oil Massage

Clearly, this is not a great gift for your mom or boss on V-Day (ahem), but if you want to show your girlfriend, wife, or main squeeze how much you love them, there’s nothing quite like a deep tissue hot oil massage. Most importantly, make sure to use a high quality oil.

Organic coconut oil is sensual (and delicious) and is available at any health food store. I also highly recommend the delectable Chocolate Body Oil by Kopali Organics and the Malagasy Ginger body oil by Pangea Organics. According to Pangea, the ingredients are “stimulating” and “revitalizing.” Sounds like a great way to make love-strike that, I mean show your love this Valentine’s Day.

Step 1-To warm the oil, submerge the container in a bowl of medium hot water and let it sit for 5-10 minutes. Step 2-Light some candles. Step 3-Take a few deep breaths with your partner. Step 4-Initiate rubdown of each and every part. Step 5-What kind of blog do you think this is? You’re on your own now dawg, fo’real. $7-$21

Light Her Fire

The Soi Company of Northern California makes the very best non-toxic naturally scented candles. Delicious scents for Valentine’s Day include Red Currant, Goddess, and Love Spell Divine. The Soi Company candles are handmade with 100% kosher soy oil. They are soot-free, burn cleaner and about 40% longer than wax candles, and do not emit any harmful toxins (nothing kills the mood like inhaling carcinogens!) These candles are so pure in fact, that the melt pool can be used as a skin moisturizer or applied as a soothing remedy to sunburned skin, eczema, psoriasis, and poison oak. Or you could just pour the wax all over your partner-just make sure they’re into it first. $3.95-$27.95

Dear (Recycled) Diary

Be certain your lady has something to write down just how mindblowing her Valentine’s date was with this adorable journal by Sweet Thoughts. The retro style cover is actually made from a repurposed candy box. Inside is 40 sheets of 100% recycled paper. $12.50

Whatever you share with your lovely ladies this Valentine’s Day, remember, the most important gift for every woman is being listened to with close attention and feeling adored…Though gifts do help on the second part, come to think of it. I’m just sayin’.

Grace & Cello’s “Lucia” recycled wool coat cuts a sophisticated line for women headed to the office or a mid-week cocktail party. Where does recycled wool come from, you may wonder. According to Grace & Cello’s Gerri Brightwell, “The wool in our coats is created by using roll ends, scraps and other pieces of fabric that normally fall to the cutting floor and are wasted. These scraps are reconstituted into the fabric that we use for our coats.” Made in Montreal, not only are these stunning pieces sustainably made, they are also 100% sweatshop-free. So feel good about Grace & Cello’s pattern makers, cutters, and sewers- Maryse, Angelo, Leo, Tony, Mrs. Anna and Cheng hope you like their clothing, too.

The City of Angels has turned out the most coveted coat of the season: The Battalion’s “Ali Cape.” Any woman of high style and sophistication would be hard pressed not to scrounge together the necessary funds for this de rigeur coat, even amidst the current economic downturn. (I could be projecting here.) A draped hood and scarf attaches to this dramatic and colorful cloak, creating layers of fabulosity to this cloak inspired by Ali McGraw’s classic look in the 70’s. This bank account bandit by the Wong sisters is made from bamboo and organic cotton, certified by Oeko-Tex. Even if you can’t feel good about the Ali Cape’s effect on your finances, you can feel great about supporting sustainable manufacturing and farming practices. I’m going to consider it a worthy investment…for your wardrobe and the world. (Okay, that’s pushing it, I realize. I just had to purchase a ticket on the justify train with this one.)

From the right coast of the US, Brooklyn-based Nina Valenti of Naturevsfuture has designed a sleek and super warm coat for freezing cold weather. The “Fleece Zip Up Jacket” is made from recycled Polartec® fleece, a combination of yarn crafted from PCP post-consumer plastic (soda bottles) and PIR post-industrial materials (scraps of fabric and yarn leftovers). This jacket is perfect for art openings, job interviews, and getting wined and dined by someone who’s really worth it. Since 2002, Naturevsfuture has consistently crafted asymetrical sustainable pieces for women who don’t want to just wear their clothing, they want to rock it. Says Valenti, “Naturevsfuture is an artistic statement in the form of clothing. It fuses classic with cutting edge, and deconstructive with a refined elegance to create a new & exciting look, suiting one’s complex personality.” Agreed.

Plaid goes way beyond fad this season with snowboard company Burton. The GMP Dante Jacket is an equal match for slippery slopes and snowy city streets. GMP stands for Green Mountain Project, Burton’s first collection of boots, bindings, gloves, and outerwear that utilizes recycled materials and eco-friendly weatherproofing technology. This coat is absolutely made to last which is the most eco attribute of all, and even comes with a Burton lifetime warranty. It’s such a pleasure to see mainstream companies greening their collections, especially the snowboarding industry, whose business is so enmeshed in the issue of global warming. Ride or die.

From Northwestern designer Emily Katz, comes a cozy ecochic fleece coat. Katz is using reclaimed poly fleece from “mill ends,” that would otherwise go unused, to create the “Wow Rainjacket.” This belted coat in “dusk” bells out below the waist, creating a classic, feminine feel on a very contemporary design. Wow is right.

Seems like eco fashion has finally evolved to a place where true clothes hounds no longer have to sacrifice to save their conscience. Give thanks to the designers making this a reality for us! Amen.

Do you love reworking your old pieces to make something hot for the club or office? Do you have piles of shirts in your closet begging for a purpose? Give those ill fitting t-shirts from days gone by a serious revamp and enter ReShirt today!

Check out these prizes…

* Winner: $300 Greenloop Gift Certificate and a 30 minute FREE style consultation with celebrity stylist Barbra Horowitz
* 1st runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $50 Greenloop Gift Certificate
* 2nd runner up: Copy of Closet Control by Barbra Horowitz and $25 Greenloop Gift Certificate
* All 3 winners will be reviewed and posted on Greenloop’s In The Loop…fame and fortune could be yours all with just the snip of your scissors!

Contest Rules:

1. You must reuse a t-shirt you already own, nothing new please.

2. The redesign process should only include cutting and tying techniques. For our inaugural ReShirt contest, there will be no dyeing, silkscreening, or sewing.

3. All participants must be US residents over the age 18.

4. The contest runs from today, Friday, April 25th, through Friday, May 23rd. All submissions must be received no later than 12:00 midnight on Friday, May 16th,2008

5. Design submissions are to photographed and submitted via email to aysia[at]thegreenloop.com. Please submit 4 photos: front and back shots of the t-shirt both on a person and lying flat on a surface. Biography about the designer must be submitted with the entries, limited to 500 words, and must contain email, address and telephone contact information.

These gorgeous FSC-certified walnut wedges from Mohop are a must for Spring. Annie Mohaupt’s unique design allows you to create totally different looks depending on the way you tie the ribbons. Each handmade pair of platforms comes with 5 sets of ribbons, which allows you to have casual, office, and evening looks all from one pair of shoes. The recycled rubber bottoms makes walking in the platforms much more comfortable and you won’t have to complain about not having shoes to match your outfit this sandal season!

Now if you have a spare $750 or so for shoes (ahem), check out these gorgeous cork pumps from none other than Christian Louboutin. The designer is very focused on this renewable resource for Spring and we are more than happy to peruse eBay in the hopes of fanagling a pair. Though not so sustainable for your bank account, the hot pink stiletto may help you sustain any major fashion event in the future with ease.

This is the absolutely gorgeous cruelty-free “Desire Triton” strappy heel from Melissa. These rockabilly babies are produced in a sweatshop-free factory Sao Paulo, Brazil where the workers are paid high wages with great benefits. Melissa recycles 99.9% of factory water and waste, and all the overstock inventory is recycled into new shoes. Sadly, these still use PVC to make this little vegan guys, so make sure to tell the owner Zaha Hadid to look into more sustainable materials for next year’s line.

This whole green movement is a process, and all of us eco fashion warrior princesses need to do our part…especially when it comes to shoes! If you love a shoe line and wish it was more sustainable, go to the Contact section of their website and let them know. Your customer voice is huge, use it. We need eco pumps people!

Known for his equal commitment to high style and sustainability, Rogan Gregory has established a small empire of ethical design. His debut collection Rogan, introduced in 2001, is an homage to vintage workwear featuring hand detailed denim of the highest quality possible. Loomstate is the 100% organic spin-off of that line which launched in ‘04, before “organic denim” was even in the American vocabulary.

In 2005, along with partners Ali Hewson and Bono, the Ohio native launched Edun; a company devoted to the “Trade Not Aid” mission of bringing manufacturing and healthy commerce to impoverished areas of Africa. Also in 2005, Rogan found the time to launch his furniture line Rogan Objects (his personal assistant better be getting six figures), that uses reclaimed wood from old factories and barns in Upstate New York and tooled leather trim to create modern handcrafted pieces that are both rugged and refined.

Things got A Litl Betr in 2006, with his line of finely tailored men’s suits. In 2007, Gregory made news again when he won the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Award. If all this wasn’t enough-watch out ladies-in May 2008 Rogan is putting out an organic swimwear line for none other than Target! Rogan is actually getting an eco-minded maven like me to shop Target again. Will miracles never cease? Apparently he told the execs there, “’If you let me do it with organic, and if you let me do it in the summer, I’ll do it.’ It’s sexy.” This man possesses a keen sense of style, immeasurable energy, and absolutely loads of ambition…Move over Ralph, here comes Rogan.

Technically Terra Plana means flat land, but you’ll be hardpressed to find much flatness with this shoe manufacturing anomaly. Inspired by a deep desire for longterm ecological survival, Terra Plana publishes the life cycle assessment for every pair of shoes they produce. They design their shoes with reparability, lightness (to reduce shipping impact), anatomic design, and durability in mind. According to Terra Plana, they “minimize waste and toxin use and maximize product use and love.” They produce their line using chrome-free and vegetable tanned leathers, recycled materials of all sorts (from rubber to old quilts and parachutes), and pure latex soling materials. Not to mention, they merchandise their products with an arresting, out-there aesthetic (check out the product shots above).

Terra Plana has also debuted a more eco-conscious leather product called E-leather. It’s a ‘re-woven’ blend of leather and textile fibers practically indistinguishable from good quality leather. E-Leather is produced with closed loop water usage and best practice pollution prevention methods. These people clearly care about crafting beautiful fashion statements using only the most modern and sustainable methods possible.

And how do they look? So, so hot! Whether you’re in Milano, Madrid, or the Mid-West, these unique sneaks and heels will be turning heads. Priced from $50-300, a pair of Terra Plana’s is a worthwhile investment in a company that’s setting the bar for eco-conscious manufacturing, as well as your wardrobe.

If you want to check out a sneak peak of Terra Plana 2008, go to smartplanet.com for a look at the super-sexy strappy heels for Spring.

For 2008, I made a resolution to bring eco-consciousness to my wardrobe and take readers of The Tastemaker Diaries with me. Our January installment of Green Your Closet introduced the Clothing Swap, a party combining the noble task of reusing your old garments by acquiring new ones from your nearest and dearest stylish friends. Now, we’re showing you how to love your wardrobe and the planet…by taking good care of the clothing you already have. If you keep just a few simple tips in mind, you can make your “personal classics” last a lifetime. If you take care of the clothes that aren’t your favorites, you can happily pass them on to another lucky person to wear for years more. By lengthening the life of your clothes, you lessen the environmental impact of the clothing manufacturing business, which makes for cleaner water, air, and soil for you and yours. Who knew buying less could have such a big effect on the world beyond our bank accounts? We also show share a few great tips on green washing (the good kind.)

Keep ‘Em Cold
Wash your darks and brights in cold water to keep colors true and save on hot water. And keep any garments that may bleed color far from whites…there’s nothing like one random red sock to ruin a whole load of whites.

Green Your Clean
The bulk from most laundry detergents is made up of water. The concentrated versions are good for just as many loads, use much less plastic for packaging, and require less petroleum to transport. The non-toxic powder versions packaged in recycled cardboard are my personal favorite.

Handwash delicates to keep them looking like new.

If you have to dry clean, make it green! Ask your local dry cleaner if they use “perc” (perchloroethylene) in their processing. In addition to lifting out stains with ease, Perc has also been known to cause neurological damage. Ooh…no bueno. The EPA called PERC a hazardous air pollutant and a potential carcinogen. Perc was a even used a chemical weapon back in World War I! So how do we keep chemical weapons out of our closets? Find a green drycleaner in your neighborhood at LowImpactLiving.com. Enter your zipcode and Low Impact Living will tell you where you can find your nearest non-toxic dry cleaner. If there’s not one near you, make sure your local dry cleaner is aware of the risks of Perc and that you want to see its use eliminated as soon as possible.

Photo by Miss Pupik

Hang ‘Em Up!

All’s well that ends well. Hang your clothes on an old fashioned laundry line and use the power of the sun instead of a coal-fired power plant to dry your clothes. It keeps the color of your garments truer (especially if you turn them inside out) than the dryer; it also saves all the energy (cha-ching) it takes to run it. If you don’t have anywhere to hang your clothes outside, try one of those handy indoor drying racks.

It just goes to show you style mavens- loving your clothes is more than just an attitude, it’s a way of life. Stay tuned for March’s Green Your Closet, which will cover the 3 R’s of a green closet: Reclaim, Reconstruct, and Reinvent. Dust off those sewing machines, fashionistas-it’s going to be a funky ride!

(Barney’s Madison Avenue Store Window)

(Image from Inhabitat)

Finally, a New York Fashion Week that brought sustainable design to the foreground. The FutureFashion show has come and gone, much buzz has been created and many have something to say about, skeptics and supporters alike. An article by Lauren David Peden for Vogue shared some inspiring comments from participants, including Barney’s New York fashion director Julie Gilhart, who was instrumental in bringing together the 28 participating designers. Apparently, Julie grimaces at the phrase “eco-chic”, stating, “I hope we don’t use that word anymore. It’s just the way it should be….It’s more luxurious to really think about where your fabric comes from, about the impact of it on the environment, and about fair trade and labor issues.” Adding to the idea of this is ‘just the way it should be done’ was Rogan Gregory, the man behind Loomstate and EDUN, who pointed out that compared to even 5 or 6 years ago, finding high-quality, sustainable fabric is much easier. He tells Vogue, “Now, the demand is greater, so there are all these great fabrics available, which makes designing a lot easier. People understand that this is the way of the future….Why wouldn’t you do this?”

Don’t I know it! When I launched Greenloop in 2004, it was like pulling teeth trying to find even a barely sufficient variety of apparel and accessories to offer that met the ethical and aesthetic criteria I was striving toward. Loomstate was one of the first lines we carried and I was ecstatic to find them. Now, I am happy to say, I can hardly keep up with the new lines being submitted to us on a daily basis. I love it. It is proof positive to me that this was the right thing to do, that the market is growing, and in time, we won’t even need phrases like “eco-fashion” anymore because that is just the way fashion will be.

Of course, the clothes themselves must stand alone in terms of design and quality, in addition to their eco-merits, and from what I have seen and read, they certainly made the grade. Marisa Belger, writing for Todayshow.com, did a really nice review of the event, coupled with an interview with Leslie Hoffman, the executive director of Earth Pledge. Here, Leslie discusses how FutureFashion was born, the impact of the fashion industry on the environment, current trends in eco-fashion, and fibers she is particularly excited about (think fish skin leather and pineapple fiber). Vogue also sets forth a descriptive narrative on many of the pieces, as does Abigail Doan at Inhabitat, reporting that, “Despite the diversity in all of these offerings, it was evident that designers still play it somewhat safe when they are considering an organic palette.”

This is not terribly surprising given the goal here: turning heads toward sustainable fashion to illustrate its potential for becoming mainstream. Abigail at Inhabitat tells us to “drop any ideas that this was a fringe event – early verdicts from around the fashion globe called the designs presented gorgeous and ‘to die for’. If there’s one thing eco-friendly collections are proving, it’s that sexy and stunning can come from materials that are also earth-friendly.”

Well said. Presenting designs that are a little easier to swallow that some of the more cutting edge pieces seen on many conventional fashion show runways helps sway a larger group of people than “fashion for fashion’s sake” concoctions. I mean c’mon now….just how sustainable is a 4 foot wide bubble dress that only covers one breast? (Just making a point here….I hope no one has actually made this, but someone probably has). ‘Sustainable’ fashion of course requires good design and innovation, and nobody says it has to be hum-drum, but it’s also about making clothing that people can actually wear every day. At this stage in the game, being too bold on the design front will keep “eco-fashion” in the novelty realm.

Orli Sharaby, writing for PSFK, applauded Earth Share’s FutureFashion initiative as “genuine, thought-provoking, and world-changing” while also pointing out the lack of sustainable consistency in the other “green” initiatives currently on display at NY Fashion Week. Apparently, “no less than three designers gave out canvas totes as swag at their shows”, an “eco” gesture pretty much wiped out by the same designers’ use of decidedly unsustainable textiles coupled with the staging an energy-sucking runway show. You can read the piece here, which also drags DKNY’s orange bike ‘eco’ stunt through the mud.

I have to say I agree with the sentiments here, yet on the other hand, being a “carrot” (rather than a stick) type person, I applaud any effort at increasing awareness and making change, as inconsistent and seemingly in-genuine as it might be. Let me do one more about face here to say that despite my fondness for carrots, green-washing is a real issue and should be addressed. Progress is small increments is one thing, but “green” initiatives with no substance, that are not followed-up with continuous improvements will only serve to confuse consumers, create confusion and mistrust and move us backwards. I could go on here…and I will, in another story.

The one-of-a-kind pieces that make up the FutureFashion collection are not for sale, but they will be on display in the windows of Barneys New York flagship store at Madison Avenue and 61st Street from February 1st – 21st. I love Leslie Hoffman’s statement here, which really sums it up for me: “Enjoy the show, and consider it the beginning of something that will evolve over time. It is not about this season. It is about every season.”

For years now I’ve found myself, a diehard environmentalist, fascinated by fashion. At first I shoved this frivolous fascination to the archives of my mind, thinking of it as a superfluous pursuit that would distract me from all the “important” work that needs to be done in this ailing world. Now and again, I’d sheepishly ponder my profound interest in online eco-fashion hubs like Eco-Chick and Treehugger.com’s Fashion and Beauty pages, and finally realized why fashion really matters. Fashion is our second skin. It is our most intimate possession. Let’s face it, not even our closest romantic partner has (most likely) spent twelve hours straight attached to our pelvis the way a pair of undies does. A favorite warm sweater can be our greatest comfort on a grey, frigid day. And, unlike the bodies we’re born into, clothing gives us the opportunity to choose our hue, texture, and even our shape to some extent; all these choice directly affect how our fellow humans interact with us on a daily basis.

So how can a self-proclaimed diehard environment like myself still have a closet with so few sustainably-made pieces in it? Is it money or not trying hard enough? I’m on the Greenloop team, I work with Aysia Wright, The Eco Fashionista herself, and my closet is barely chartreuse. Well, I’ve decided 2008 is the year to Green My Closet and I’m going to take the readers of The Tastemaker Diaries with me- for the good of the planet! (And it might give us clothes hounds some new ideas for how to get more stuff to wear. Let’s be real.) Ergo, the first in a series of tips on how we can all integrate some eco-conscious behavior into our shopping lives. More clothes, less guilt. Are you with me, ladies? Good. Let’s get started with the fun things first…

Step #1 Beg, Barter or Bargain

Do you ever covet your most fashionable friends’ wardrobes? Make those fantastic threads your very own without spending a single dollar: host a clothing swap at your house! Gather your stylish compadres with similar body types together to trade clothes in good condition that you’ve all grown tired of…make it a cocktail party and you may find bartering for the premium picks a real breeze. It’s for the environment, right? No harm, no foul I always say.

Do your friends have completely different shapes or tastes from you? Join in a community clothing swap like Swap-o-rama-rama where you turn in a bag of clothes at the door and you get to grab as many clothes inside as you desire. As if that isn’t the greatest thing since sliced bread already, Swap-o-rama-ramas have sewing and screenprinting stations to reinvent your latest acquisitions and turn your secondhand pieces into one-of-a-kind couture…and it’s all free!!! No Swap-o-rama-rama coming soon to a town near you? No problem- start a Swap-O-Rama-Rama or watch this feature of Clothing Swap Inc. on the Today Show and head to ClothingSwap.com for their uberfun events in 2008.

Whether it’s well known eco-line Edun by Ali Hewson and Bono, or an up-and-coming Portland local like Emily Katz, we diligently screen each designer’s manufacturing practices and materials before placing their lines at Greenloop. We feature only sweatshop-free and fairly traded garments made from eco-friendly materials like organic cotton, hemp, wool, and reclaimed vintage garments, as well as the most cutting edge renewable fabrics like soy, modal, and seacell (a blend of wood pulp and seaweed.) These fabrics weave their way into affordable, stylish basics by Perfectly Imperfect and Of The Earth to high-end pieces from ethical fashion superstars like Linda Loudermilk and Stewart+Brown. The store’s green ethos doesn’t stop with the designers we stock; Greenloop offsets the carbon emissions from the shipping for TheGreenloop.com with renewable energy certificates called Green Tags. We also donates a portion of sales to ecologically focused organizations like 1% for the Planet, Global Green USA, and the Oregon Environmental Council, among others.

I really think fashion is influential and, as such, it’s a powerful vehicle for education and change. It’s an easy way to spread a message without getting people on the defensive. Overall, it’s not about being perfectly green or perfectly fashionable-I am certainly neither…It’s just about taking steps in the right direction to live a more sustainable life.

The team at Greenloop and I will be bringing some exciting features to The Tastemaker Diaries in the coming months…from what’s hot on America’s eco fashion runways to behind-the-scenes stories on the designers who adorn them. We’ll keep you up-to-date on the greatest green fashion deals, as well as keeping Tastemaker readers in the know on the materials and practices that make eco fashion the feel good shopping phenomenon that it is… Enjoy staying in the (green)loop!